Gators LB Spikes to Sit a Half. Big Deal!

Update: On November 4, Spikes informed a Gainesville publication that he was going to suspend himself for the whole Vanderbilt game. His reason for his self-promotion, I mean, self-suspension was to not be a distraction to the team.

You might remember (or might not) when the whole story about Oklahoma State's Dez Bryant hit the newswires. Almost all of us saw the video of Oregon's LeGarrette Blount after the Oregon/Boise State game. So this latest "thing" puzzles me even more. Take a look.



As the title of the video precisely describes, that was Florida Gator linebacker Brandon Spikes intentionally sticking his fingers into the front of the opponenets helmet and gouging at the eyes.

Georgia running back Washaun Ealey was defenseless from the attack by Spikes. Head coach and "sheriff" Urban Meyer announced that Spikes would be suspended for the first half against the Gators upcoming opponent, Vanderbilt.

Meyer on Spikes:

"I don't condone that," Meyer said. "I understand what goes on on the football [field], but there's no place for that. We're going to suspend Brandon for the first half of the Vanderbilt game. I spoke with him. That's not who he is. That's not who we are. He got caught up in emotion."

I smell something rotten in the Swamp...and in the SEC.

Look at what Bryant got for lying (granted, to the NCAA) and look at Spikes "punishment". I don't remember hearing of Bryant attempting to harm an NCAA investigator. Spikes systematically went after Ealey's eyesight. And he'll miss only a half against an inferior opponent. What if Florida were playing Alabama?  Or even a top 25 opponent from a different conference? Do you honestly think any "punishment"/suspension would be levied?

Many excuses were made for what Spikes did. From an article on ESPN.com, check out this quote from Florida's QB Tim Tebow:

"I don't think that we did anything in that game that they didn't do," Tebow said Monday. "If you go back and look at it and study it, you can see it in the film, too. It was an intense game, both teams were very passionate about it."

All you are saying, Mr. Heisman, is that your teammate stooped to the same level as Georgia. And that's if the Bulldogs actually did as you are suggesting. It still does not warrant Spikes committing such a spineless act.

The SEC's commissioner Mike Slive has ruled that the suspension is OK by them. What if the eye gouge by Spikes was being done on, say, Alabama's running back Mark Ingram? Would this still be a legit "suspension"?

And here's where I'll revisit the LeGarrette Blount issue here. Blount was, at one time, suspended for th season during a couple of altercations in Boise after the Oregon/Boise State game. Blount has the possibility of returning to the Ducks this week after doing a "laundry list" of things administered by Oregon's Chip Kelly.

I have this for Meyer and Slive: Blount threw a punch in order to do harm to an opponenet. How are the actions of Brandon Spikes any different?

All this proves one thing. Slive doesn't run the SEC. Florida football does.